The Black Dragon Curse
by sarah-vs-psycheotic
Summary: One angry, terrifying night in the Forbidden Forest changes Hermione's life forever


**A/N:** My first story for years... i don't know what to do with myself! lol Anywho, reviews make the world turn round

Hermione trudged through the Forbidden Forest, a scowl set firmly on her face. She was pissed off. Who did they think they were, to treat her that way? Like she was just some walking, talking book to be abused whenever deemed fit? What right did they have?

None!

But had she done anything about it? Of course not. It would go against her rules to be nice and be treated so in kind. Unfortunately it isn't like that at all. Especially if your name's Hermione Granger and you happen to be bloody smart. Who cares about the rest of her?

The rest isn't important.

She kicked a large rock and watched as it soared through air and ricocheted off a tree further away.

"I fucking hate my life!!" she screamed at the top of her lungs.

Her words echoed back to her as if the trees were saying it too. Once the echoes faded, it returned back to silence. All sound seemingly swallowed up by the trees and bushes. The only sound then was her ragged breaths and the slight rustling of the spring leaves on the otherwise quiet night.

"That is quite some rage you hold inside you."

She whipped around and had her wand pointed without thinking.

There was a man standing beneath an overhanging branch, the leaves effectively blocking Hermione from seeing him clearly.

"Who are you?"

Hermione could just barely make the man shrugging in the darkness that seemed to almost swallow him. He was at the opposite side of the circle of moonlight that lit up the tiny clearing she had somehow made her way to. How far in was she? The faint beginnings of nervousness fluttered in the pit of her stomach.

"Everyone. No one."

"Wow, how informative," she replied, not even attempting to cover the sarcasm practically oozing from her very pores. Her blood raced through her veins, heart beating a very steady but hard rhythm, pounding against her chest, an animal trying to break free from its cage.

"I can smell your fear," he took a step forward. Hermione tightened her grip on her wand. "I can hear your fear." Another step and he was on the edge of the ring of light.

The man was wearing a long dark cloak, the hood pulled up obscuring his face.

Hermione looked up at him, defiant. "I am _not_ afraid. I am merely annoyed." Even to her that sounded frightened. Which just made her anger come back three fold. She hated feeling scared. It made her feel weak, and she was sick, so sick of feeling weak. She wanted to scream, to hit something, hell, she just wanted to fight.

"Your body betrays you."

Letting out a strangled scream, she yelled, "Merlin! Don't you know anything? The body has a similar response to both fear and anger! I am angry, not scared!"

The man let out a delighted laugh. "Ah, now that is truly rage."

The laugh caught her off guard. It was a rich belly laugh, the one that only comes if you find something truly amusing. Hermione scowled at him harder.

"What the hell is so funny?" Her wand hand was starting to cramp. She either had to lower it or use it. She didn't want to lower it; not something you do with a strange, mysterious man less than three metres away from you. She didn't want to use it either. There was something, a feeling, about him that made her hesitant.

'_Oh goody, a mental stalemate.'_

"You," the man replied pleasantly.

There was a movement at the corner of her eye. Hermione just had time to register the flick of his wrist before her wand was torn from her hand and flew deeper into the forest.

The anger evaporated so fast Hermione almost stumbled at the weight of the fear that crashed around her, swallowing her up. Her breaths were coming faster now. No, she was definitely _not_ angry anymore.

"What do you want?" Her words came out breathy.

The man became so very still, like a statue. A rather creepy statue. Hermione was afraid to not look at him as if, if she would stop, he would fade into the background scenery. When his response came it was barely audible.

"You."

Several things happened at once, She turned to run, the man's right hand lit up like a torch and swung his arm at her. Time seemed to slow down. She could see the small ball of fire fly at her. It felt like she had all the time in the world to get out of the way. An illusion.

The fireball was almost on her when she saw it. The ball wasn't a ball at all.

It was a dragon surrounded by flame. No, not surrounded by flame. It was _made_ of flame.

Then there was no more time to think. It slammed into her left shoulder, sending her tumbling to the ground. Hermione landed her wrist. She dimly heard a snap. It felt like she should have felt pain from that, but there was another pain much more dominant to it. She screamed.

Her back felt like it was on fire, like her flesh was going to peel away completely just trying to escape the intense heat. There were grey and black dots dancing in front of her vision.

A hand touched her hair, wiped it away from her sweaty face. "Do not worry. The pain will eventually fade."

His hand was gone from her hair, then the most intense pain she had ever felt flared to life on her back. Much, much worse than before.

Hermione let out one more ragged scream before she fell into darkness.


End file.
